Written Answers

Friday 17 November 2000

Scottish Executive

Central Heating

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to whom pensioners who are also owner-occupiers will have to apply for an improvement grant for the free installation of heating and insulation.

Jackie Baillie: This has not yet been settled. When a decision is reached, the name and address and how to apply will be widely publicised.

Central Heating

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the free central heating and insulation scheme for old age pensioners will not start until April 2001.

Jackie Baillie: The free central heating and insulation scheme for old age pensioners will not start until April 2001 because the new resources first become available in 2001-02.

Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to offer guidance to local authorities regarding local sports clubs’ ability to benefit from reduced letting costs resulting from the re-designation of many schools as Community Schools.

Mr Jack McConnell: The determination of letting charges for school facilities is a detailed matter for individual local authorities and we have not issued guidance to them on how they should discharge that responsibility.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to attract bio-manufacturing to Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Locate in Scotland (LiS) has identified the strengthening of a number of key clusters, which are crucial to the performance and development of the Scottish economy, as part of its strategic portfolio approach to inward investment. Biotechnology is one of the clusters to which LiS has been able to make a considerable contribution and it works closely with Scottish Enterprise’s Biotechnology Cluster Team to maximise the opportunities available to Scotland in this sector within the £38 million Biotechnology Cluster Action Plan launched last year.

  The Executive’s commitment to the biotechnology sector has been further bolstered by the granting in August 2000 of planning permission for the creation of a biotechnology park at Gowkley Moss, Midlothian.

  A recent addition to Scotland’s biotechnology base has been made in the shape of the Japanese Kyorin Pharmaceutical Company’s partnership with the Scottish Biomedical Foundation to develop compounds in the allergy and immunology field.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to cut any red tape for overseas companies wishing to invest in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive seeks to reduce any unnecessary bureaucratic burden affecting any company within Scotland.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10202 by Sarah Boyack on 20 October 2000, whether the information relating to the number of applications for the use of emamectin benzoate is held by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and, if so, whether it or SEPA will provide details of the number of applications which have been (a) received and (b) granted this year.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The information sought on the number of applications for the use of emamectin benzoate received and granted may be obtained from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Environment

Mr Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I have today announced publication of the Scottish Climate Change Programme , detailing action in devolved areas that will contribute to the achievement of the UK Kyoto commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the separate UK domestic goal of a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010. Copies of the programme are available in the Parliament’s reference centre.

European Funding

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on Objective 2 programmes and the URBAN II Community Initiative.

Angus MacKay: URBAN II outline programmes for Inverclyde (Port Glasgow) and West Dunbartonshire (Clydebank South) form part of the UK proposals submitted to the European Commission today. Detailed programmes will now be developed as part of the negotiations with the Commission.

  Negotiations with the European Commission on Objective 2 plans for 2000-06 for the South and the East of Scotland have now been completed, and the Commission is expected to announce in the near future approval in principle of these plans. I look forward to the Commission’s announcement. The programme will attract over £45 million and over £156 million of European Funding respectively, and should assist in the creation of 3,200 jobs in the south and 17,000 in the east. Formal approval will follow next month.

  The West of Scotland programme is more complex and will take a little longer. Approval is expected in February 2001.

Higher Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what encouragement it is giving to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to increase support for pharmaceutical sciences.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 specifically prevents Ministers from directly interfering in the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council’s funding of particular institutions or subject areas. The Scottish Executive’s guidance to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council sets a broad policy framework and leaves the council appropriately free to exercise its discretion through its teaching and research funding streams.

  Pharmacology is within the council’s Science teaching funding subject group and Pharmacy is within the Other Health and Welfare teaching funding subject group. The Science teaching funding subject group is prioritised by Scottish Executive guidance, which means that there are restrictions on transfers of council-funded places for teaching out of this priority area into other subjects.

  As for all other research funding subject areas, no specific priority is attached to Pharmacology and Pharmacy by the council.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to ensure the maintenance and good repair of Category A listed buildings.

Allan Wilson: There is no statutory requirement upon an owner to keep a building in good repair, whether it is listed or not. There are, however, powers under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 for planning authorities – and, in exceptional circumstances, Scottish Ministers – to take action where buildings have deteriorated to a point where there is real concern for their future. These powers provide for the carrying out of urgent preservation works and for compulsory acquisition.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to local authorities concerning the maintenance and good repair of Category A listed buildings.

Allan Wilson: Advice on maintaining listed buildings of all categories and unlisted buildings within conservation areas in good repair is covered within the Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas , the document to which all planning authorities are directed by Scottish Office Development Department Circular No.13/1998 in their consideration of listed building consent and conservation area matters. More specific guidance can be found within the Historic Scotland publication, The Repair of Historic Buildings in Scotland (1995). Although the advice contained within it relates specifically to government buildings, a further book, The Care of Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments by Government Departments in Scotland , published by Historic Scotland and the Department of National Heritage, is also relevant.

Non-Domestic Rates

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the statement made in Mr Jack McConnell’s letter to me of 23 February 2000 that the "total tax income in Scotland raised from non-domestic rates will remain unchanged in real terms following the revaluation" is still accurate or whether, in the light of information about the anticipated income from non-domestic rates which has subsequently become available, this is no longer the case.

Angus MacKay: It is accurate. The replies given to questions S1W-5176 and S1W-7769 by Jack McConnell about distributable amounts refer.

Non-Domestic Rates

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals have been initiated against the 2000 rate revaluation assessments.

Peter Peacock: 81,379 appeals in respect of 75,666 property subjects have been lodged with the Assessors following the 2000 revaluation of non-domestic rates.

Non-Domestic Rates

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what was (a) the total number of hereditaments on the valuation roll, (b) the number of appeals timeously intimated and (c) the information for (b) as a proportion of (a) in respect of the 2000 rates revaluation.

Peter Peacock: The total number of subjects on the valuation roll as at 1 April 2000 was 217,000. 81,379 appeals have been lodged with the Assessors in respect of 75,666 property subjects, which represents 35% of subjects on the valuation roll as at 1 April 2000.

Oil Industry

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the promotion of oil exploration and extraction on "fallow field" sites, for which licences have been granted but which have not been developed.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with DTI on a wide range of issues relating to petroleum exploration and development on the UKCS and these issues are regularly discussed at Pilot, the successor body to the Oil and Gas Industry Task Force of which I am to be a member.

State Hospital Carstairs

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average cost per patient per week is in the State Hospital, Carstairs.

Susan Deacon: The average cost per patient per week at the State Hospital is £1,346, based on 1998-99 figures.

Teacher Training

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many places at each teacher training institution (a) were not filled in the current academic year and (b) were not filled in each of the last three academic years.

Mr Jack McConnell: The following table shows the places available and intake to teacher education institutions for pre-service teacher training, 1997-98 to 2000-01:

  





Year




2000-01


1999-2000


1998-99


1997-98




Primary BEd




Places available


701


600


600


612




Intake


708


636


612


618




Primary Postgraduate




Places available


316


265


210


213




Intake


335


276


238


217




Secondary BEd




Places available


170


181


214


202




Intake


175


218


193


172




Secondary Postgraduate




Places available


1,000


1,015


812


828




Intake


991


1,004


861


826




Total




Places available


2,187


2,061


1,836


1,855




Intake


2,209


2,134


1,904


1,833

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make funding available to Cruise Scotland and, if so, how much and when, and how it intends to promote tourism through cruise ships.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: No. This is an operational matter for the Scottish Tourist Board.

University Research

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Her Majesty’s Treasury approval is required to alter the amount of private investment allowed in relation to projects which are eligible for funding from the Proof of Concept Fund and, if so, whether it has made any representations to the Treasury requesting that any current restrictions on such investment be changed.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Treasury approval is not required to alter the rules of Proof of Concept Funding.

University Research

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Proof of Concept Funding was made available in each of the last three years, broken down by university or other recipient body.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Proof of Concept Funding was launched in 1999 and the first round of awards was announced in June of this year. The breakdown of awards was:

  


University of Dundee


2 projects totalling 
£477,926




University of Edinburgh


1 project totalling 
£132,732




University of Glasgow


2 projects totalling 
£406,052




University of Strathclyde


2 projects totalling 
£437,769




  One further project worth £58,200 was a joint bid between the Universities of Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow.